Outrage in Pakistan: Hindu Students Pressured to Convert for Education
Controversy Erupts Over Alleged Forced Conversions
Karachi: Reports have emerged from Sindh province in Pakistan, where some Hindu female students claim they were coerced into converting to Islam in order to continue their education. This alarming situation has prompted government officials to initiate an investigation.
In late November, parents of Hindu girls attending the Government High School in Mirpur Sakro reported that the headmistress allegedly pressured the students to convert to Islam.
This revelation has sparked significant outrage, with parents asserting that their daughters were compelled to recite the Kalma and faced ridicule for their religious beliefs.
Furthermore, it was reported that some students were sent home after they refused to convert or recite the Kalma.
Kheeso Mal Kheal Das, the Minister of State for Religious Affairs, informed the Senate on Thursday that the provincial education minister has ordered a thorough inquiry into the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Sindh Minister for Education, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, confirmed that a committee has been established to investigate the situation in Mirpur Sakro and ascertain the facts.
The spokesperson noted that committee members have already gathered testimonies from the affected students, their parents, the headmistress, and other educators.
He emphasized that coercion or threats to force conversion are strictly prohibited.
Sindh, home to the largest Hindu population in Pakistan, primarily consists of lower-income groups and has been facing ongoing issues with the abduction of young Hindu girls, often leading to forced marriages with older Muslim men.
Human rights organizations estimate that more than 1,000 minority girls are forcibly converted each year in Pakistan, predominantly from Sindh's Dalit Hindu communities.
These girls are often abducted, coerced into conversion, and married off to Muslim men, frequently under duress, poverty, and intimidation.
The absence of robust federal laws against forced conversions in Pakistan has raised significant international concern.